‘Coffee and Conversation’ at Cal State Fullerton
“In an art form that is ripe for play, creativity, and imagination, as an industry and society we are settling for selling our girls’ childhood to the lowest common denominator.” Elizabeth Gough Schultz, Master of Fine Arts in Dance, UCIrvine When I spoke at ‘Coffee and Conversation’ 2 weeks ago, I addressed the lowest common […]
CAHPERD: Cultural Trends
It was a joy to attend and speak in Anaheim at the 2019 CAHPERD(California Health Physical Education Recreation and Dance) Conference. Their educational foundation emphasized current cultural trends about the importance of body health. That provoked me to think about an LA Times article from August 19, 2018 that I read last summer which […]
How to DANCE
How to DANCE? Go to a CDEA (California Dance Educators Association) conference to enjoy incredible expertise about ‘How to DA:NCE(you know Dance Awareness: no child exploited)’. In January I spoke at UC Fullerton for the 2019 State Conference and was welcomed by teachers who love dance and who love their students. From the opening with […]
Where Is Mary Speaking Next? – spring speaking schedule
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A Christmas Card in Listening
A Christmas Card in Listening incarnates hope into my soul. Last Christmas I wrote about noise pollution. It’s a year later and now I’m pondering the opposite of noise. Quiet. I often listen in silence so I can hear my heart. And God’s voice: ” ‘Faith comes from hearing(listening), and hearing through the word of […]
Gobble, gobble, gobble: Dance Coalition Newsletter
Gobble, gobble, gobble! Ps 118:1 “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever.” I can’t believe that November is already here. It’s turkey time and I’m getting ready to host my extended family at the annual Thanksgiving feast in 2018. Through the years, I’ve enjoyed a lot of memories around […]
NDEO Connections, Knowledge and Leadership: ‘Children’s Dance: Educational or Sexualized’
What a wonderful national conference this NDEO(national dance educators organization) gathering turned out to be. Hats off to the NDEO board who worked so tirelessly to make the conference possible. An additional thanks to Kristin Kusanovich (past president of CDEA, lecturer in the department of Theatre and Dance at Santa Clara University and Kusanovich Dance […]
Ebook Release: Healthy or Harmful Children’s Dance
How can concerned parents or concerned adults know if their child’s dance studio teaches healthy, educational dance or unhealthy, sexualized dance? The answer to this practical question is clarified in a free ebook that I have written. ‘Healthy or Harmful Children’s Dance’ combines my last 4 DA:NCE blogs […]
Hypersexualization: How to educate a dance studio with the DA:NCE Toolkit
Time and time again I hear from concerned parents, grandparents, dancers and community leaders asking what they can do to raise education and awareness around the harmful effects of adult costumes, choreography and music for children. While many of you have probably seen children’s dance that disturbs you, perhaps […]
How to Avoid a Harmful Dance Studio
Last month I described what to look for in a healthy, age-appropriate dance studio. Now I’d like to travel in the other direction and discuss what defines dance that harms children. Let me refresh your memory. When I use the words harmful dance, I am referring to dances for children that are hyper-sexualized with adult […]